<title>Foods that Keep Bones Strong

Also for your general health

Eat the following to avoid the risk for osteoporosis (literally "porous bone") or debilitating fractures and breaks.
Eat: About 5 ounces of lean protein (skinless poultry, fish, beans, low-fat or fat-free-dairy foods, nuts and seeds) per day for women, 5½ for men. (A serving of chicken or fish the size of a deck of cards is about 2 to 3 ounces.)
Avoid: Red meat, poultry skin, lard, butter, cream and tropical oils (saturated fat can thin bones).
Caution: If you are on a low-carb, high-protein weight-loss program, your body may leach calcium from your bones, causing them to weaken. The key: keep a good balance and make sure you consume enough calcium
Eat: At least 1½ cups of fruits and 2 cups of vegetables every day; more is even better. Choose a rainbow of produce, including greens, reds, oranges, blues and yellows. Satisfying your taste buds isn't the only motivation. Each kind of fruit and vegetable offers its own particular concentration and mix of nutrients. Evidence suggests fruits and vegetables create an environment that reduces calcium loss from bone. Also plant phenols and flavonoids provide compounds that bolster bone. Produce is also rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which can help fortify bones and maintain the muscles that support them

Eat: Low- or non-fat dairy products (such as milk and yogurt), canned salmon and sardines (eat the soft bones!), dark green leafy greens, broccoli, dried figs and nuts. (Note: Spinach, rhubarb and beet greens provide less calcium because a substance called oxalate gets in the way of absorption). To absorb calcium, you also need vitamin D. Few foods other than fish and liver naturally contain vitamin D, so look for vitamin D fortified foods (like milk and orange juice) and ask your doctor if you need a daily supplement.
If you're under age 50, get a total of 1,000 mg of calcium from foods and supplements, if needed. Along with it, get 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily. If you're over 50, get 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D. (Your body can absorb about 500 to 600 mg of calcium at one time, so spread out your calcium intake. Have a calcium-rich food at each meal or as a snack. For example, have a glass of calcium-fortified orange juice with breakfast, eat yogurt at snacktime, and drink a glass of milk before bedtime.)

Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises helped you build bones in your younger years. If you're over 30, the right physical activity will help you maintain bone strength. If you can't do high-impact weight-bearing activities such as running, try lower-impact exercises, such as walking, stair climbing (step machines), low-impact aerobics and elliptical training. For muscle strengthening, exercise with free weights or a resistance band.

Get your vitamins and minerals which research suggests are beneficial for bones.
• Magnesium: spinach, beet greens, okra, tomato products, artichokes, plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens and raisins
• Potassium: tomato products, raisins, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, papaya, oranges, orange juice, bananas, plantains and prunes
• Vitamin C: red peppers, green peppers, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, papaya and pineapples
• Vitamin K: certain dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens and Brussels sprouts.
Salt over the 2,300 mg or less limit could be bad for bones.(used both as a flavoring and a preservative in many meals and foods we eat)To reduce your intake:

* Eat fewer takeout and restaurant meals, and cook with less salt at home.
* Avoid high-sodium deli foods, especially smoked meats.
* Limit canned vegetables, frozen meals, condiments (e.g., salad dressings, catsup, mustard, etc.), tomato sauce and other packaged foods, since these products tend to contain excess sodium.

Leisureblog comment: As for orange juice, eat the whole orange with its fibre.
As for little non canned fishes I chew its head, bones and swallow all.
Papaya & sweet potatoes are sweet, good, easy to eat & relatively cheap here. I love cooked pineapples
with onions, soya sauce and some honey or sugar or oyster sauce.
Sweet potato leaves is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin E
(Alpha Tocopherol), Niacin and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin K
,Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese. Easy to grow in the yard here.
Vitamin K in sweet potato leaves - per 100 g Vitamin K=108 mcg. Nutrition Information for Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition Facts and Calories in Sweet potato leaves, cooked, steamed, without salt

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